CALL FOR PROPOSALS Responses to questions Round 2 ......Could Haiti be considered in the eligible...

Federal Department of Foreign Affairs FDFA

Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation SDC

Global Cooperation / Global Programme Food Security

CALL FOR PROPOSALS Responses to questions – Round 2 (questions received until Monday July 6 2020)

QUESTIONS RESPONSES

General questions

Eligibility

I am working as a post-doc at the University of Zurich. Is it possible to apply for the SDC Global Programme Food Security with some collaborators in India together as they are co-applicants?

Please refer to the call for proposal documents: research only projects will not be considered.

Are NGOs operating across Lebanon eligible to apply? NGOs are eligible. Single-country proposals will not be considered.

The Faculty […] in Nigeria would like to know whether we’re eligible to make our submission. Can we submit a ten year development plan within the annual threshold of CHF 900’000.

Academia in Nigeria are eligible.

Concerning the annual budget, please refer to the call for proposal documents.

Should the project be implemented only in one country, or the applicants can be a consortium of organizations from different countries and have the same idea implemented in two or more countries with similar issues to be addressed.

Single-country proposals will not be considered. Please, refer to the call for proposals documents (and the answers to questions round 1 and 2) for precision for the number of countries for each specific call.

Is there any limitation we should consider regarding the number of proposal each HQ can submit?

Please refer to answers to questions from round 1: Submission of more than one proposal per call from the same implementation agency is possible.

Our network is composed of distinct legal entities (one is based in US, one is based in France, one is based in Madrid). Can we consider that each entity can submit one or several proposal for each of the four call, if relevant?

Yes.

The geographical focus on 3 – 4 countries is a must. Is it possible to foresee more than 4 countries? Is there a maximum number of countries?

Please, refer to the call for proposal documents and the answers to the questions of both round 1 and 2. The minimal number of focus countries is different for each call.

Is the eligibility strictly focused on SDC priority countries based on 2021-2024 Swiss international cooperation strategy?

No. Please, refer to the call for proposals documents (and the answers to questions round 1 and 2) for precision on country focus for each specific call.

Are there Asian Countries prioritized by the calls for proposals? If yes, can you specify which ones per each call?

Please refer to the answers to the questions of both round 1 and 2.




QUESTIONS RESPONSES

Could Haiti be considered in the eligible countries for the calls? Sometimes the Island is associated to African countries within TOR.

Please refer to the answers to the questions of both round 1 and 2. Haiti’s eligibility is different for each of the call.

AB / moved1: Does SDC require an organisation to be legally registered for a specific amount of time before they can get funding?

No.

AB / moved: Can we apply even if we had no prior contract with the SDC? Yes.

As local NGOs [in Rwanda], what are the other eligiblitiy criteria? Is Rwanda's organizations concerned? If not, consortium is allowed?

NGOs are eligible. Rwanda is a possible focus country. Consortia are allowed.

I wish to find out the eligibility criteria for the recently published calls for proposals and the budgetary support limits for each project

Please refer to the call for proposals documents and the answers to the questions of both round 1 and 2.

I would like to know the eligibility criteria for submitting proposals See response above.

Are there specific areas / regions that the programme is aiming to work at? See responses above.

Co-funding

HR / moved: Please clarify the 50% funding. Is cofunding required on the project? Can organisations self-fund the deficit?

Please refer to the call for proposals documents and the answers to the questions of round 1. Co-funding is absolutely required. Organisations can self-fund the co-financing part.

LBI / moved: Please clarify what is considered co-financing. Could it include Offeror self-funding via existing secured funds? Could it include in-kind funding (services and goods)?

Yes. Please refer to the answers to the questions of round 1. See response above. In-kind contributions are accepted in principle but they have to be well documented and realistically valued.

Can the part of the cost to be covered by the applying organization be an in-kind contribution?

See response above.

AB / moved: Regarding co-funding, does it include in-kind contribution? See responses above.

NU / moved: Can the matching contribution be in-kind or cash for the project? See responses above.

Can the part of the project cost to be covered by the applying organization be a donation or grant from other organizations?

Yes.

1 AB / moved means this question was asked in relation with the call for proposal Agrobiodiversity for food security and nutrition but given its general / generic character, we have

include it in the general part of the questions and answers. Similarly NU / moved are general / generic questions asked in relation with the call for proposal Nutrition in secondary cities; HR / moved are general / generic questions asked in relation with the call for proposal Human rights in food systems; LBI / moved are general / generic questions asked in relation with the call for proposal Responsible land-based investment practices.




QUESTIONS RESPONSES

Will other projects, apart from previously SDC funded ones be considered? Yes.

AB / moved: is it possible to consider current project funding (2021-2022) as co-financing for subsequent phases (e.g. 2025-2029 and 2029-2031)?

No. Co-funding percentages apply by phase.

LBI / moved: What are acceptable forms of "confirmation of co-financing and share of co-financing" (Section 3.2.3.b, page 7)?

Please, refer to the answers to questions of round 1. The proposal shall include convincing information about the co-funding sources. The requested documentation includes a cover letter with signature(s). This cover letter should include a confirmation about the proposed budget including co-funding.

LBI / moved: Does confirmation of co-financing and share of co-financing count as part of the three-page financial proposal limit?

See response above.

AB / moved: What is the proof of co-funding expected by SDC when the project proposal is submitted?

See responses above.

Is it correct to understand that the co-financing sources have to be identified and confirmed in detail for the first phase and that for phases II and III a co-financing strategy shall be presented, confirmation of which is required during phase I? Or do the co-financing sources have to be already confirmed up to the duration of 10 years?

Yes. Information on co-funding for the first phase are to be presented in detail while we only expect indication for the next phases.

AB / moved: to what extent is co-funding strategy deemed sufficient proof for phase 2 and 3, given formal commitments are unlikely to be retrieved for a situation 5 years from now?

See response above.

AB / moved: If the budget and co-financing has to be prepared for the overall 10 years project duration, does the co-financing covering the same period needs to be fully confirmed as well or does the confirmation only refers to the first phase and an estimation /projection of co-financing for phase 2 and phase 3 will be sufficient?


LBI / moved: Given the long timeframe, can % of required co-financing be explicitly laid out for phases 1, and indicative for successive phase?


AB / moved: Is proof of co-funding needed for the whole 10 years or only for the first phase (when 20% of budget would be sufficient)?


AB / moved: Shall the budget including the confirmation of co-financing be prepared for all phases (10 years) or only for phase 1 (for years)?





QUESTIONS RESPONSES

AB / moved: Must the match for all 4 years (or even 10 year) be confirmed upfront?


AB / moved: Does SDC have a ratio of funding to company income? E.g. Some funding agencies' policy state that the funding amount shall not exceed 50% of the average annual revenue of the last two financial years.

No.

Can loans and investments count as matching funds / own contribution? In principle yes as long as it contributes to the long term sustainability of the project / programme.

AB / moved: If an organization would like to use current project funds as co-financing, does this mean that the SDC project needs to take place in the same countries (even if thematically there is a 100% overlap)?

If funding from other current projects are included as co-financing, the relating activities are to be fully integrated in the project / programme responding to this call for proposals.

Our global network is composed of five individual regional centers, which have separate budgets. The 50% match for the project will be made up of parts of these independent budgets. Any guidance on how best to present this?

We are not commenting on how co-financing has to be presented in the proposal.

Partnerships and consortium

Are consortia advisable? Consortia are possible.

AB / moved: Is it essentially a collaborative project - ie having different partners?

Applications from single organizations or consortia are possible.

Can a consortium include Universities or institutions from applying or other partnering countries (e.g. Switzerland, Netherlands, etc.)?

Yes.

AB / moved: Must the proposal include a Swiss partner? No.

AB and NU / moved: As part of a multi-country proposal, does the consortium of partners need to be same for countries?

The consortium is the same for the project, but not all consortium partners need to be active in all project countries.

AB and NU / moved: And can there be a different consortium lead for different countries?

In SDC understanding, a consortium can only have one global lead.

Is it possible to submit a proposal as a consortium between several HQ of the same network, if relevant?

A consortium should include different stakeholder groups. Several HQ of the same network can be part of the consortium.

Can one organization lead more calls for different calls for proposals?

Or lead only one call and be co-applicant in all other lots (3 other lots)?

Yes. An organization can be part of different calls as lead or co-applicant.




QUESTIONS RESPONSES

What are the requirements for the Lead organization? There is no specific requirements.

[Lead organization in a consortium]: Should this be also a registered organization in Switzerland?

No.

Budget and reporting format

LBI / moved: Is there an existing budget template that Offerors should use? No. Please refer to the answers to questions of round 1.

Other general questions

Within technical and financial proposals, should we present only the first phase (4 years) or the whole program (10 years)

The technical and financial proposal shall be designed in quite a detailed format for the first phase and can be more descriptive for the possible phases 2 and 3

Is the concept note to be conceived for all the 3 phases - covering 10/11 years, depending on the call - or should it be designed only for the first phase? We have the same question about the budget.

See response above.

AB / moved: Do we need to prepare budget and proposal for the first phase alone (2021-2024) or should we include the subsequent phases?


HR / moved: Should proposals establish the workplan for the whole 10 year period, assuming that renewal after four years would be available as long as interim objectives are met?


AB / moved: Does the budget need to cover the costs of all 3 phases or just phase 1?


NU / moved: Should the financial proposal cover only the initial phase (4 years) of also the second and third phase?


LBI / moved: Please confirm that the three-page financial proposal and budget should address all three Phases, a period of 11 years total, per Section 2.4, page 6.


Je viens par le présent mail solliciter les documents et guides de soumission de l'appel à proposition incluant les fourchette à solliciter, donc l'initiative porte sur : initiative pour la sécurité alimentaire et la nutrition.

Veuillez-vous référer aux documents des appels à propositions aux réponses à la première série de questions disponibles en ligne.

Il n’y a pas de format spécifique pour la présentation des propositions.

Comment répondre à l'appel à candidature ? Existe-t-il un canevas ? Voir réponse ci-dessus.

Pourriez-vous partager avec nous le formulaire s'il y a? Voir réponses ci-dessus.




QUESTIONS RESPONSES

NU / moved : Je vous demander fiche de formulaire appel de projet nutrition. Voir réponses ci-dessus.

Is there a specific format for the concept note and the cover letter? No.

Can you please assist on the content that is required to be included in the proposal?

Please refer to the call for proposals documents and to the answers to the questions of both round 1 and 2.

AB / moved: Please clarify if references should be within the 6 page limit of the proposal.

Please refer to the call for proposals documents and to the answers to the questions of round 1.

The proposal can’t include neither annexes nor links to further documents.

NU / moved: In case the proposal qualifies, will every partner country be sent its budgeted portion of funds from SDC as there are a number of bank and institutional fee deductions as the funds are sent from country to another country or from Lead institution to another partner institution?

The way the contribution will be released is subject to the contract negotiations.

I would like to know if you are able to fund Medical/Healthcare Services projects in Lebanon?

No.

[…] wish to apply for grants for start up of a poultry farming. This kind of project is not in line with the call for proposals.

Est-ce que la proposition peut-être soumise en français? Oui.

AB / moved : Is there a cap/maximum on institutional indirect cost rate recovery (institutional overhead rates) that can be charged by the applying entities?

Please, refer to the answers to the questions of round 1.

SDC has no fix rules for “indirect rates”, “administrative costs”, “overhead costs” or “allowable costs” in case of contributions to projects / programmes. It is up to the applicant to present a coherent and realistic budget to deliver the anticipated results. Overhead costs are allowed if it is the general policy of the applicant. The items covered by the overhead costs should be listed. This will be assessed as part of criteria EC5 (see chapter 4.2 of the call for proposal documents).

AB / moved: Does SDC have a preferred method for allocating indirect costs among consortium members, or is it up to the lead applicate/consortium to propose in their financial offer and then SDC will review/advise in subsequent stages?

See response above.

AB / moved: What is the ceiling for overhead costs? See responses above.

Would Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation please clarify what percentage of indirect cost rate would be allowed under this award?





QUESTIONS RESPONSES

AB / moved: Are there any requirements regarding the budget breakdown (% of investment, management, M&E)?

No.

NU / moved: does the SDC contribution for key personnel costs cover salary costs?

Yes.

Would Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation please clarify the type of mechanism (e.g., contract, grant etc.) for the award, and financial terms of the award?

Please, refer to the call for proposals documents and the answers to the questions of round 1. See also the model contracts that are available online.

On the last point on the technical proposal, it states: "Description of personal resources” Should we read this as “personnel” resources, otherwise please explain what information you are expecting?

Sorry for the mistake: personal resources means personnel resources.

LBI / moved: Section 3.2.2g, page 7, states that Offerors should provide a "description of personal resources." Should that read a description of personnel resources? If not, kindly clarify what personal resources should be described.

See response above.

LBI / moved: Point g: provide a description of personal resources; what level of detail is required? Do we need to include CVs?

Please, refer to the answers to the questions of round 1.

The proposal shall include convincing information about the expertise and competencies of the applicant. The proposal can’t include neither annexes nor links to further documents.

AB / moved: One section of the technical proposal is called “Description of personal resources”: what does it mean? Which kind of information do you request under this section?

See response above.

AB / moved: I have not submitted any email questions for round 1 on June 22/06/2020 but only for round 2, will that be used as a criteria to disqualify me if I met all the other requirements in the final submission?

No.

Submitting questions is an option, not a mandatory requirement.

AB / moved: Is it compulsory to submit 5 proposals with 6 pages as the best benchmark for submission?

Please, refer to the call for proposals documents.

AB / moved: What will be the mechanism to fund disbursement? If there are other collaborators in the project?

The way the contribution will be released is subject to the contract negotiations.




QUESTIONS RESPONSES

COVID-19 will have a significant impact on emerging market food security, nutrition and human rights but these impacts are not well understood and are likely to be highly uneven. Will this work seek to plug the gaps in knowledge and implementation capacity that related to these impacts?

We do not provide any additional information than the one in the call for proposal.

HR / moved: Our proposed work fits into more than one of your priority categories. How do you suggest we best navigate this in crafting our proposal?


LBI / moved: Is the technical & financial offer for full program development to be included in the submission? In case the request has to be made at this stage, which type of information is required?

No.

LBI / moved: Is the financial support for the program development part of the contribution described under 2.4?

No.

HR / moved: Is this funding intended primarily to support existing work, or spur new work that is aligned with current programming?


HR / moved: In a […] project, a portion of these funds would be utilized to support network infrastructure, linking on-the-ground impacts to progress in UN policy arenas. Is there guidance on how much must be used in the regions (Asia and Africa) and how much can be allocated to network capacity and function (e.g. coordinating and advocacy staff, travel, translation etc.)?

No.

NU / moved: Can a Swiss governmental body, without receiving funds, act as a partner and become part of a consortium for a joint-programme for this call?

Yes.

Are projects that concern access to water, not exactly food, eligible to apply for this grant?

No.

Questions relating to the call agrobiodiversity for food security and nutrition

Please explain more concretely the exact meaning of the "partner institutions" described in the section 2.1 (page 5) of the CALL FOR PROPOSALS "Agrobiodiversity for improved food security and nutrition"

Partner institutions can be a single organization or a consortium of different stakeholder groups. Both can work with subcontractors.




QUESTIONS RESPONSES

Would you please clarify the following in relation to the call in subject, Agrobiodiversity for improved food security and nutrition: As regards eligibility criteria (paragraph 2.1 in the call document) it is mentioned that “the call for proposal welcomes applications from partner institutions” As in all remaining three calls the wording used is instead “single organizations, organizations with subcontractors, consortia or alliances of different stakeholder groups”, does it mean that you expect only existing SDC partners to apply for the specific focus on agrobiodiversity?

See response above. Also organizations that are not yet a SDC partner can apply.

In each country in the consortium, how many partner it is possible to associate (private and public)

There is no limit of possible partners.

Can a consortium of French and African civil society organizations apply? A consortium should include different stakeholder groups.

About the partner, is it oblige to involve in the consortium an Asia continent institute or university?

No.

Does the project proposal have to be necessary carried by a Swiss institute or University as P.I?

No.

Could you confirm:

- Agrobiodiversity for improved FS and nutrition: 3-4 countries.

Yes.

We understood that “synergies and complementarities to SDC financed programmes are welcome”: does it mean that it is suggested - whenever possible - to include one or more countries among SDC list in annex 1 (Tanzania, Tchad, Lao PDR, Mozambique, South Africa)?


Please also explain the relevance of the SDC projects listed in Annex 1 and whether there might be the opportunity to develop synergies with those projects.

See response above.

Please indicate the importance of including the countries identified in Annex 1 as part of the proposal.

See response above.

I'm writing to inquire if we must have a Swiss partner and/or an Asian partner to submit a proposal to SDC call- Agrobiodiversity for food security and nutrition.

No.




QUESTIONS RESPONSES

Should the proposal focus only on 3-4 African countries or 3-4 Asian countries, or 3-4 both African and Asian countries? Which one do you recommend?

3 – 4 both African and Asian countries.


“The project should focus on 3 - 4 countries in Africa and Asia”. Does this statement mean the proposal should aim to cover all these 3-4 countries or one can choose any one country from Africa or Asia?

See response above.

The call reads “The project should focus on 3 - 4 countries in Africa and Asia”. Does this mean we need to have countries in both continents (say Kenya, India, Uganda is eligible while Kenya, Uganda and Tanzania is not)?

The project should cover countries both in Africa and Asia.

“The project should focus on 3 - 4 countries in Africa and Asia”: does it mean that the project have to cover countries in both Asia and Africa? Or that it can focus on Asian OR African countries?

See response above.

Is it essential to have countries in Asia and Africa in one proposal, or could we have a proposal with just countries Asia in the proposal?

See response above.

Is it possible to include 3 African countries and 1 Asian country in the proposal? Do you have a preference on the distribution of countries?

See response above.

The project should focus on 3 - 4 countries in Africa and Asia.” How should we interpret this: Does it means that we should be working with

- option 1: in Africa AND in Asia or

- option2: in Africa OR in Asia.

See response above.

We understand that only countries in Southeast Asia and Africa are eligible. We can see value in including at least one country from Latin America in addition to at least 5 from eligible regions. Agribiodiversity learning is quite advanced in Latin America and this inclusion would help to contribute to global impact. Would this be possible if the additional country was supported by either additional funding or by our institution?

The SDC project will address 3-4 countries in Africa and Asia.

Can all the countries be from Asia? See response above.

Please could you detail all of the eligible countries in Asia. Member countries of the FAO Asia Group and Central Asian Countries, such as Kirgizstan, Tajikistan or Uzbekistan are considered as eligible countries in Asia.




QUESTIONS RESPONSES

Which Asian countries are eligible? Would India also be eligible? Yes.

In Africa, could we have more than 3 countries if we don't have a partner in Asia or not?

No, see response above.

I would like to know that As a Bangladeshi, Am I eligible to submit project proposal?

Yes.

Can we submit a proposal on Agrobiodiversity for food security and nutrition for Gilgit-Baltistan, Pakistan?

Yes, with 2-3 other countries in Africa and Asia.

Is Armenia eligible to apply? No.

Would FDFA be interested to fund a project in Malawi and would you also include funding for capacity building for local organizations involved in biodiversity?

We are not commenting on project ideas.

Could Iran be considered as an eligible country in Asia? Yes.

Is Tadjikistan an eligible country to participate in this call? Yes.

Please could you advise if India, Nepal and Bangladesh are eligible countries. Yes.

Can you please clarify, if Nepal and Bangladesh are eligible for the call to agrobiodiversity for food security and nutrition?

Yes.

Could you please confirm whether Madagascar is an eligible country for this call for proposals?

Yes.

Please let me know if South Africa is eligible for funding. Yes.

Geographic focus: is it allowed to include non-priority countries (like Vietnam) in the proposal? And: will the selection of priority countries result in a higher score?

Vietnam is eligible.


In the first phase we should work with 3-4 countries in both Asia and Africa, but should we point to additional countries to scale up and include in the second phase?

Possible phases 2 and 3 will depend on the performance achieved in the previous phases. An up-scaling to additional countries might be an option but is not a must.

Does the duration of the project have to be of 10 years? Can it be less? (e.g : 6 years) ?

A long term duration of 10 years is preferable.




QUESTIONS RESPONSES

The SDC contribution for first phase will be a max of CDH 2'500'000 per year. What will the maximum annual contribution for the phases 2 and 3?

The maximum annual contribution for possible phases 2 and 3 should remain at the same level as for phase 1 and potentially decrease towards the end of the project.

What is SDC’s maximum contribution in phase 2 and 3 in Swiss francs? (In the document it says maximum 50% of total project costs but doesn’t mention a specific amount in Swiss francs like for phase 1 where it says maximum of CHF 2’500’000 per year)

See response above.

For the first phase, the SDC contribution will be covering a maximum of 50%-80% of the total cost of the project. Is the maximum 80% or is it 50% ?

SDC contribution will cover a maximum of 80% of the total cost.

“SDC’s contribution for the first phase will be a maximum of CHF 2’500’000 per year and covering a maximum of 50% - 80% of the total cost of the project”. How should we read it? Better aiming at 50% or 80%?


Given that “SDC’s contribution for the first phase will be a maximum of CHF 2’500’000 per year and covering a maximum of 50% - 80% of the total cost of the project”: does it mean that the total cost of the project for the first phase of 4 years has to be at least 16,000,000 and 20,000,000 CHF?

The maximum of the total project cost (SDC contribution and co-finances) is CHF 20 Mio.

What is the range of fund volume provided by the SDC per project? The maximum is CHF 2.5 Mio per year.

What is the extent of crops (Farmer varieties & NUS) that can be used in this project?


I would like to inquire if a proposal focusing on traditional/heirloom rice varieties or landraces is acceptable for SDC for this call?

Farmers’ varieties/landraces are acceptable.

The focus on underutilized and neglected species, does this stretch to underutilized and neglected varieties of more common species?

See response above.

To what extent shall breeding activities be used in this project so as to avoid altering immensely the genetics of both a farmer variety & NUS crops?


Are the improvements in agrobiodiversity expected only limited to the public sector as a target customer? What about the private sector?


How do you see the involvement of the government staff like agriculture, health and forestry department field staff?





QUESTIONS RESPONSES

Should the project contribute to all “SDGs stated such as 1,2, 3,5, 12, 13 &15” only or just 3 or 4 of the SGDs?


I am submitting proposals for Agrobiodiversity, food security and nutrition. Should I submit under the 3 headings or submit only under Agrobiodiversity only?


Can the project be linked to ongoing projects which are related to initiatives in food and nutrition security through promotion of agrobiodiversity in different states?

Yes.

It is mentioned that an “Exclusive research project will not be considered”. Will an Action Research proposal be accepted, which has a study component as well as action? Action with research can then contribute to policy design.


May you please let me know if research and technology organisations such as the CSIR - Council for Scientific and Industrial Research - can apply for this call. The aim of the application is not research focused but technology development and support for farmers, women, youth and is very much market driven.

Yes.

To what extent should normal scientific research be employed in this project? We do not provide any additional information than the one in the call for proposal.

Organisational structure: the announcement on the website speaks of 'testing new forms of governance'. Can you elaborate more on what you expect to see, or is there is an existing document explaining SDC's vision on governance?


Track record: how many cases are to be presented, and how far can they go back? Should they all be related to Sub-Saharan and Asian region / countries proposed for project implementation?


I would also like to know if a company/institution can be involved in more than one application?

Yes.

Can private sector/SMMEs be supported under this call? Yes.

Do all the tentative stakeholders in the multistakeholder approach have to be identified in the proposal?





QUESTIONS RESPONSES

Questions relating to the call human rights in food systems

Can organisations with the National Footprint apply if the programme has applicability to an international implementation of at least 4 countries?

Yes.

[…] is a nongovernmental, non-profit making and no racial, development organization that work with underprivileged and marginalized communities in the plantation and area of Sri Lanka. This is regarding the selection of proposal topics so can I know whether we can select the Proposal No 01 Human rights in food systems, Proposal No03 Agrobiodiversity for food security and nutrition.

NGOs are eligible. Only multi-country proposals will be considered.

I am the founder and the Executive Director of an NGO […] based in the Republic of Guinea and Liberia. West Africa. […] empowerment young women and girls in general and vulnerable women in particular by reinforcing their capacities on Human Rights and Food security which is a mean of reducing the rate of transmission of STIs, HIV/AIDS, deaths and poverty of women. Question: We would like to submit our proposal will it be accepted?

NGOs in West Africa are eligible. Only multi-country proposals will be considered.

We are […], We are based in the East of the Democratic Republic of Congo since 1990. We want to know if we can even propose our project alone and in our Country only?

NGOs are eligible. Partner institutions can be a single organization or a consortium of different stakeholder groups.

Only multi-country projects are eligible.

Projects or initiatives with a focus on less than four countries are not considered: Does this criteria refer to the entire programme for submission or to every single project within a submitted programme?

The criteria refers to the entire programme.

Could you confirm:

- Human right in food systems: minimum of 4 countries.

Yes.

It is not explicit that Asia and Africa are the priority regions for implementation. Could we consider Middle East countries could also be targeted?

Yes.

African and Asian countries must be included or only African countries? Please, refer to the call for proposals document (Chapter 1.3).

Geographical focus: Will you consider proposals including projects in Southeast Asia and/or Latin America?

Yes, please, refer to the call for proposals document (Chapter 1.3).




QUESTIONS RESPONSES

Questions relating to the call nutrition in secondary cities

Can you please provide a definition of secondary cities for the purpose of this call? The guidelines seem to indicate a population lower than 500,000 inhabitants. However, in the context of very densely populated countries such as Indonesia, cities that are considered locally as secondary can have greater populations. Would cities with a population between 500,000 and 800,000 inhabitants be considered in this context?

Please, refer to the answers to the questions of round 1 and the call for proposal document.

Yes, cities bigger than 500’000 inhabitants can also be considered.

May we have a detailed definition of Secondary Cities? Please, refer to the answers to the questions of round 1 and the call for proposal document.

Do the technical proposal need to specify all the cities the project will focus and all the local implementing partners, or can these information be refined during the period of Development of the full proposal?

No, the proposal does not need to specify all cities and all local partners. This information can be provided in the full proposal.

Could you confirm:

- Nutrition in secondary cities : minimum of 2 countries

Please, refer to the call for proposals document (Chapter 1.3).

Minimum is three countries.

Is it possible to implement our projects in 3 or 4 countries only based in Africa? Yes.

African and Asian countries must be included or only African countries? Both options are possible.

Is it possible to implement our projects in 3 or 4 countries only based in Africa? See response above.

Is it essential to have countries from Sub-Saharan Africa as well as countries from South-East Asia in one proposal, or could we have a proposal with just countries from South East Asia?

See response above.

Can one chose a region to focus the project (Africa or Asia) or the programme should englobe countries in both regions?

See response above.

The call for secondary cities stipulated the geographical focus on low- and middle income countries in Sub-Saharan Africa and South-East Asia, however, if the consortium consists for 1-2 countries from SEA, would it be possible to include a country from South Asia such as Bangladesh or Nepal into the proposal?

Yes.

Does the country Nepal qualify for SDC as "South-East Asian" for the call for proposal "Nutrition in secondary cities"?

See response above.




QUESTIONS RESPONSES

If a submission focuses on three countries on one continent is this acceptable to SDC?

Yes.

Can a proposal cover activities only in the African continent, provided that it covers at least 3 countries?

Yes.

Could we consider CAR within Nutrition in secondary city eligible countries? If CAR stands for Central African Republic, CAR is eligible.

As we are considering a consortium of countries for South East Asia region. How important is it that we also include one of the SDC priority countries (listed in Annex 1) with an existing food value chain intervention?

Synergies and complementarities with existing SDC supported projects is encouraged but not a must. Annex 1 of the call for proposal document presents an indicative list of SDC country or regional programmes managed by SDC’s South-Cooperation domain. All linkages with existing SDC programmes (listed or not) are welcome.

Annex 1 includes countries in Africa but none in Asia. Does SDC have any priority countries and food value chain programmes in Asia?

Synergies and complementarities with existing SDC supported projects is encouraged but not a must. Annex 1 of the call for proposal document presents an indicative list of SDC country or regional programmes managed by SDC’s South-Cooperation domain. All linkages with existing SDC programmes (listed or not) are welcome.


For the secondary cities & nutrition lot, in the Q&A round 1 it says the projects can take place in Africa or South East Asia or both, but in clause 1.3 it refers "In order to develop synergies with SDC South cooperation, the programme should target at least one SDC priority country where SDC supports existing interventions on food value chains and market development (see Annex 1)." And then in Annex 1 we have the impression there are only African projects. Does this mean Africa is a mandatory location for the secondary cities & nutrition lot?

See response above.

From the list of SDC projects provided on the call, it is not clear in which Asian countries SDC has projects. Can you kindly inform?

See response above.

Are there any SDC projects in those four countries (Burkina Faso, Côte-d'Ivoire, Ghana and Liberia)? If not, are we still eligible to apply if we decide to implement our projects in those 4 countries?

See response above.




QUESTIONS RESPONSES

Would a proposal be discounted if it includes a country that is not a SDC priority if the intervention is relevant to the Nutrition in Cities theme? [Does non SDC priority country stand a chance if a proposal is consistent to the priority issues identified is submitted for consideration?

No, it would not be discounted. Non-SDC priority countries are eligible.

Can SDC please clarify, the extent to which SDC’s Humanitarian Aid Focus Countries will be considered for this call?

Please refer to the call for proposal document (Chapter 1.3).

Do we need to have an official representation in each of the countries where we ambition to implement the project?

No.

As it is for 10 years divided into three phases, it says “SDC’s contribution for the first phase will be a maximum of CHF 2’000’000.-- per year….(50-80% of total cost Phase 1 and 50% of total cost in Phases 2 and 3”. This is a total for 3-4 countries. Is there a ceiling of the grant per phase per country as it would be a challenge to determine how much other countries would be proposing, given the limited time for preparation? Is there also a ceiling for each consortium partner per country?

No, SDC's contribution refers to the programme and not per country.

For Phase 1 – co-funding is required for Year 1 and 2. Does this mean that no co-funding is required for Year 3 and 4 or can the co-funding be spread over the 4 years?

The co-funding can be spread over the 4 years.

Would SDC perceive technical and financial engagement by a corporate organization as a conflict of interest?

No.

Questions relating to the call responsible (VGGT compliant) land-based investment practices

It seems there is a contradiction between 1.3. the programme should target at least 2 countries and 2.2. Projects or programmes with a focus on less than five countries will not be considered.

Please refer to the call for proposals document. Under 1.3 it is written: the programme should target at least 2 countries in which SDC has existing interventions on land governance on which it can build. The programme should target at least 5 countries including two in which SDC has existing interventions on land governance.




QUESTIONS RESPONSES

Section 1.3, page 5, states that "South-East Asia and Sub-Saharan Africa are the priority regions of intervention. A multicountry approach is mandatory and the programme should target at least 2 countries in which SDC has existing interventions on land governance on which it can build." Section 2.2, page 5, states that "Projects or programmes with a focus on less than five countries will not be considered." Kindly confirm that Offerors are expected to propose work in at least five countries, at least two of which will have existing SDC interventions.

See response above.

How many countries do you recommend working in as not to spread resources too thin, yet take advantage of each partners’ network to disseminate good practices especially during scaling-up phases?


Could you confirm:

- Responsible land-based investment practices : minimum of 2 countries

No.


We noticed that the SDC IGAD Land governance program has not been listed as (ongoing) programs with which to demonstrate strategic linkages. Is it useful also show linkages with this and/or other non-listed SDC programs?

Annex 3 of the call for proposal document presents an indicative list of SDC country or regional programmes (managed by the South-Cooperation domain of SDC). The IGAD Land governance programme is a part of the Global programme food security (that is one of the programme of the Global Cooperation domain of SDC). All linkages with existing SDC programmes (listed or not) are welcome.

Please clarify the period of performance that should be addressed in the technical proposal submission; Section 3.2.b, page 6, states that the Offerors should include "expected results (outcomes and impact) to be achieved within 4 years"; should that be 3.5 years, the length of Phase 1 per Section 2.3 on page 5?

Sorry for the mistake.

Phase 1 is expected to start by mid-2021 and last until end-2024, hence 3.5 years.

There is already a significant body of work in this area which has improved understanding but has not always produced significant improvements in impact/practice. How will this call relate to this existing work: will it seek to build on and/or replace this work or is there a conscious effort to start from fresh? If the former, are there any programs, initiatives or approaches that you recommend learning from?

We do not provide any additional information than the one provided in the call.

Can you elaborate more or refer to a document detailing this what you expect of 'using the potential of digitalisation' and 'responsible digitalisation'?





QUESTIONS RESPONSES

Private partnerships: is it expected to include private sector partners in the consortium itself or are other forms of collaboration also accepted?

A public-private partnership would involve both public and private actors in the consortium that submit a proposal. However, other ways of involving private actors in the programme implementation are of course possible.

Private sector resource mobilisation: is the 50% co-financing expected to come fully from private sector?

No.

What are SDC’s expectations regarding co-financing from the private sector? SDC has no particular expectations. Co-financing from the private sector has to be included in 20 to 50% of co-funding for the project.

The ToC assumes that finance should be made available to achieve ReLbIP’s development objectives. Given the categories of investors the program would be likely working with, and the financing requirements, would any SDC rule apply to maintain a balance (ratio?) between TA and grant financing?

No.

Associated to that, has SDC any strategy guiding engagement with the private sector, and (large) financial service providers?

No.

Track record: how many cases are to be presented, and how far can they go back? Should they all be related to Sub-Saharan and Asian region / countries proposed for project implementation?


Can the program work in forested landscape too where the needs for greater sustainability is evident?

Yes but working on forests would not be counted as agricultural related activity.

CALL FOR PROPOSALS Responses to questions Round 2 ......Could Haiti be considered in the eligible...

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